Former Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity man Junior Sa’u is the new captain of Keighley Cougars. Sa’u takes on the responsibility after seeing previous skipper Ellis Robson leave the club over the off-season.
The centre, who is now 37-years-old, is preparing himself for what will be his 17th season in professional rugby league, having started in the NRL with Newcastle Knights in 2008. The last two and a half years of his career have been spent at Cougar Park with Keighley, where he has made 38 appearances.
The veteran has scored 24 tries in that time, with 13 coming last season as Keighley went within inches of winning promotion back to the Championship. Given the experience Sa’u has gathered over the course of his career and his seniority, head coach Jake Webster has given him the honour of captaining Keighley through the 2025 season, with George Flanagan and Dan Parker deputising as vice-captains.
“Junior exhibits all the credentials of a leader,” Webster told the Keighley Cougars website. “He’s a tough competitor and leads with his actions.
“I am challenging him to move out of his comfort zone and lead with his words and really steer this side around the field. The boys respect him, his experience speaks for itself. With George and Dan alongside him I have three great leaders in this team who have bought into what we are trying to achieve at this club.”
Sa’u spent five seasons with Newcastle Knights before joining Melbourne Storm in 2013 and Salford a year later. He would spend five and a half years in Greater Manchester with the Red Devils playing 142 games and touching down 59 times with his last season seeing him make eight appearances as Salford reached the 2019 Grand Final.
He joined Leigh Leopards halfway through that season after a brief loan spell with Wakefield Trinity, but before joining the Cougars, he made 16 appearances for Major League Rugby side Old Glory DC.
The club announced the decision today while also confirming that Izaac Farrell will wear the number six shirt, which was retired following the death of Danny Jones. The shirt will feature The Danny Jones Defibrillator logo on the back.
